CORRUPTION

INTRODUCTION:We, in Pakistan are breathing in a culture which, for no better description can be called the culture of corruption. It has permeated to every facet of our life. Not a single institution is without it's black sheep whose number is ever on the increase. As a matter of fact of fact, we seem to be developing immunity towards corruption. Indulgence in corruption is no longer looked upon as an immoral or shameful act. ather a person who does not avail the opportunity to amass wealth is looked down upon as either a coward or a fool. !he cultural cycle is complete and we are in the grip of it's spiral. eligion and moral codes or e"amples of earlier heroes of honesty have failed to produce any healthy influence. #urrently, according to !ransparency international, Pakistan is the $%th corrupt country in the inde" of corrupt nations. MODES OF CORRUPTION:&. Petty corruption' includes nepotism and favoritism. (. outine corruption' involves common malpractices such as ) gifts)' or )parties) to get a favour. *. #hronic corruption' involves shameful patroni+ation and promotion of all sorts of corrupt deals. FACES OF CORRUPTION', #orruption has crept to every department of the country. Police, -udiciary, WAP.A, /ducation, 0ealth, # 1 W, #ustoms and /"cise, Income ta"234 5, Accountant 6eneral 7fficials, Army 7fficers, P!A, -ournalism etc. 3ederal and provincial governments do corruption in awarding contracts in privati+ation, the allocation of import 8uota, the regulation of cartels e.g. !he last 9ugar #risis in the country. CAUSES OF CORRUPTION', 3ollowing are the main causes of corruption in Pakistan', 1. Rehabilitation and Settlement Of The Refugee ', In Pakistan, with it's inception, #orruption originated from the rehabilitation and settlement of the refugees. !hose who had the +eal and +est of national service from the sense of dedication, patriotism and religious obligations. As there were scarce resources and the government servants involved in rehabilitations were given arbitrary powers. !his power created opportunities for the officials to

promote their own interests at the e"pense of miserable masses. 2. Afghan !a" Again t Ru ia:-

When the capitalist powers of the West decided to wage war against #ommunism and Afghanistan became the battlefield, a huge sum of money and ammunition came to Pakistan as Pakistan was to play the frontline state role in the war against ussia. Appro"imately more than &: billion dollars were given to Pakistan by the #apitalist powers. ;nfortunately, most of this aid was usurped by those authorities who were directly or indirectly related to Afghan War. 3. Politi#al In tabilit$', #orruption prevails in those regions where there is no peace, no writ of the state and where there is no stable government. Pakistan, unfortunately, has been a place of political intrigues, politics of opportunism and obstructionism. ;ltimately, democracy could not get its roots in Pakistan. In such a scenario, the ruling elites involved in corrupt practices, not only to fill their own pockets but also to buy out persons in order to facilitate their voracious aims. 4. Di #"itiona"$ Po%e" Of Publi# Offi#ila :According to oseau' )Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.) Wide and discretionary powers to the public officials provide incentive for corrupt behavior. !hese make them little accountable. -udges, 4ureaucrats and politicians have access to control the valuable benefits of private citi+ens. !hey can impose costs over them and their business. Public officials are usually tempted o use their positions for private gains by accepting bribes for their posts. Private influential individuals may have been getting undeserved pro<ects through paying handsome amount in bribe to the concerned officers. !hus, a necessary condition for corruption is that public officials have rewards and penalties at their disposal. 5. Poli#$ En&i"onment:#orruption also stems from policy environment, either on the top or at the bottom of the hierarchy. Pay offs are fre8uent to the lower level officials charged with collecting tariffs, provide police protection, issuing permits and the like. When corruption is endemic, these officials may create additional red tape and delay to include even higher payments. According to =aiser 4engali> ) /very year more than ?oo billion rupees laps in Pakistan due to corruption in the civil bureaucracy.) 6. The De'enden#$ of Politi#ian on (u"eau#"a#$' Politicians depend on bureaucrats for their political standings. !he culture of

politics in Pakistan is characteri+ed as mushroom of political and agitational politics. !hus the government becomes in shape of alliance and the same the opposition. All the political parties in the government try to recruit more and more of their supporters in the bureaucracy. !his is the e"ample of )administrative corruption). Political leaders are more prone to corruption as they need resources for financing their election campaigns and also for maintaining their social status. 7. )o% Sala"ie :#ivil and military officers are also likely to involve in corruption due to their low salaries. As their costs and e"penses are e"ceeding their salaries. 8. Po&e"t$:Poverty is also one of the main cause of corruption. !he economic conditions of our country have always been shabby. Inflation, as ever, is on the rise. !here is a lack of social safety network. All these compel a common man to indulge in such unlawful activities. 9. Ineffe#ti&e )a% and P"o#edu"e:!here is no deterrence for the corrupt. It is coupled with discrimination in implementation of laws. EFFECTS OF CORRUPTION:1. Mo"al Deg"adation:#orruption tends to moral degradation. !he culture of corruption has plagued the society to the e"tent that it has become a way of life. @alues and norms have changed and new values orientation is undergone. It puts us on the threshold of the cross roads of values. !he generation, in all walks of life, emanate from assumption of power and corruption of values. #orruption leads to corruption. #orruption of liberty leads to liberty of corruption. It initiates every type of fraud, <ealousy, deception, negligence and e"ploitation of the vulnerable and weak segments of society. It breeds ine8uality and in<ustice in the society. It denies the basic human rights of freedom, e8uality and fair play. 2. Mi t"u t and Su 'i#ion*When there is corruption, there is mistrust and suspicion. People lose faith in the integrity of Public administration as it becomes inefficient due to the violation of merit. 3urthermore, they lose their faith on the state and its representatives. !hus, these facts cause damage to the social fabrics of the society. In conse8uence, democracy is put at stake and the nation becomes vulnerable to

be e"ploited by the anti,Pakistani elements. esultantly, the writ of the state will be shaken. 3. Slo% E#onomi# +"o%th:#orruption leads to slow economic growth, coupled by deceleration of the development in the state. It impacts the private sector as there is no transparency. In conse8uence, investment is discouraged, whether it is internal or foreign. It impacts the public sector, as there is scarcity of resources. !hus, it creates despair, insecurity and detracts people's constructive ob<ectives. 4. Co""u'tion )ead To E,'loitation:#orruption leads to e"ploitation because the living standard of people becomes very low. As corruption retards economy and poverty alleviation and public service delivery. !hus, it leads to all sorts of crimes and violence. ich and poor gap gets widen. Poor are e"ploited by burgioses 2big businessman5 class for their own aims . -. ("ain D"ainage:4rain drainage is the direct effect of corruption. It will become harder to locate men and women of ability and integrity in the public life. #apable people prefer to go abroad and serve other nations with their ability instead of suffering in Pakistan.

SUGGESTIONS:Pakistan is in the midst of economic and security crisis and has earned a bad image in the world community. 9o, curbing corruption is necessary to get it's due status on the International front to improve the 8uality of life of it's people. !he following steps are needed to be taken in order to root out corruption in Pakistan', /. Ma0ing A##ountabilit$ Me#hani m Inde'endent of E,e#uti&e:In the past many attempts were made to uproot corruption but all in vain. #ritics opine that in the past, people were targeted and not facets of corruption. NA4 2National Accountability 4ureau5 was established to substantiate the commandment of Allah but it became a kingro court. !he anti,corruption Act is still on the 9tatute 4ook 2#onstitution5, !he Public epresentative 7ffice .is8ualification Act &A?$ is still in vogue. 6eneral Ayub, Bia and Cusharraf introduced their own anti,corruption programs but they all aimed at throwing out the politicians and not the corruption. !he reason is institutional weakness in the anti,corruption plans. 3or instance, the drive against corruption has suffered a setback due to it's control being wasted in the e"ecutive. !his applies to all watch,dogs> from the Anti,corruption to the National accountability bureau. !he need is of an accountability mechanism outside and independent of the e"ecutive at the same time.

1.Cu"tailment of Po%e" and Ma0ing +o&e"nment Offi#ial A##ountable ', It is a historically proven fact that neither politicians nor bureaucrats should have discretionary powers. In a country like Pakistan where the head of the state to a pity assistant considers discretionary powers a matter of life and death. !his resulted in temptation to corruption that ultimately corroded our whole Islamic values. !herefore, the powers of the administration and politicians from top to bottom must be curtailed. Along with, Inter,departmental and Intra,departmental accountability system must be strengthened. !here must be penal laws with strict enforcement for the corrupt individuals. 2. T"an 'a"en#$:!ransparency, honesty and fair play are the pre,re8uisites for any state to progress. In order to make Pakistan a corruption free state, it is inevitable to introduce a transparency and merit culture in all its departments. No room should be provided for favoritism, gifts culture and bribery. 3.Em'o%e"ing Pa"liamenta"$ O&e" ight Committe:.emocratic government is still the best policy even if it's leaders are less austere and less capable than non,political guards or e"perts. A democratic system has it's own correcting mechanism. Parliamentary oversight and fear of losing the confidence of people makes it more efficient. Parliamentary oversight committee which is empowered to revive all the actions of the government, big cartels and bureaucrats. 7nly then the corruption could be minimi+ed in the country. -. In#"ea ing the Sala"ie of Publi# Se"&ant :#orruption is a socio,economic problem. In the past, it has been treated only as a legal and administrative issue. 6ood rumination2salary5 to the public servants and merit,oriented bureaucracy should be the norm in the country. !here should be social <ustice and e8uity among all citi+ens of the country. !he pay structure of the public officials must be realistic. !heir salaries should be ade8uate to meet their needs. 4.Ma A%a"ene : !o minimi+e corruption in Pakistan, there is a need of a comprehensive campaign on media to bring awareness in the people. !he propagation against corruption could play a vital role in uprooting corruption in Pakistan. #ivil societies can also play a vital role in minimi+ing corruption in our society. CONC)USION:A comprehensive campaign based on determination against corruption in order to restore the trust of our nation should be initiated. At the same time, we must look seriously into the socio,economic factors that have immensely contributed to a corrupt culture in our country. We need a system that deters corruption now and in the future. 7nce corruption is rooted out from Pakistan, then progress is it's fate as 6od has bestowed it with both human and natural resources.